Comments

Hmm. Well, for the most part, it seems that for the sheep ignorance is bliss; there may be a slight discomfort when awareness creeps in, but many people seem capable of dissociating from it and maintaining status quo.

The energy expenditure increases as reality intrudes, but that doesn't seem to stop people from reinforcing the dam against it.

Change is inevitable, but that doesn't seem to apply to awareness or attitude... that is a controlled function of the will.

I don't know that I share your assesment concerning the happiness of the sheep. I think sheepeople tend to experience a lot of fear and anxiety over money, status and the judgments that their fellow sheep make about them. In our ignorance, we tend to spin worst-case scenarios that surpass the horrors of the real world and then fret over the imagined dangers.

Yes, but that anxiety is also a method of staving off awareness, a distraction technique.

Fear, as you know, is false evidence appearing real. It is generally manufactured, but there is certainly free choice involved in swallowing it. I don't feel sorry for the sheep. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.

I would say, though, that some concern may be warranted as far as functioning in the real world; it may be fairly easy for a person who has no money worries not to be concerned about money, for instance... if poverty is not knocking on the door, it's much easier to be enlightened; that follows Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you are focused on your next meal, self actualization is not a priority.

Like pain, anxiety is subjective. What may be balderdash to one person may be overwhelming to another. The imagination is the most powerful accessory we have; it can elevate us or destroy us.

I'll have to hop back over and check out the link; I just responded, didn't notice that post went anywhere.

My husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed hypnotherapy training; it's one of the best ways I know to explore the edges of reality and beyond without using anything but the power of the mind and suggestion.

I've been curious as to how people who are considered 'poor' hypnotic candidates, such as the psychotic, would respond to a regular regimen of hypnotic scripting that would focus on assisting the person to filter and manage their perceptions rather than suppressing them... the 'hallucinations' of the schizophrenic can be enlightening if taken as a psychedelic experience similar to, say, psilocibin. If a good mushroom trip can be facilitated by a guide, why not psychosis?

Even in hypnosis, though, is the aspect of will. A person can't be hypnotized to believe or do something that is in conflict with their inner locus; they must be willing to buy into the illusion (or loss of it). Brain washing, on the other hand, is forceful and deliberate destruction of a person's inner locus in order to control them. It can work, but there is always the chance the person will 'wake up'... as many people seem to be doing in modern life.

I was an advertising design major in college for a year or two before I went into nursing; one of my favorite courses was about the advertising concepts of subtle hypnosis through implication, illusion and repetition, subliminal messaging and misdirection. We're surrounded by it every day. As you said, for some people it becomes the focus of their lives, consumption and immersion in the illusion being fed to them by the media, politicians and advertisers. Despite the impression of distress, I do think some people thrive on it; it can be as addictive as any other substance.